1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a hockey puck and, more particularly, to a hockey puck for playing on a non-ice surface having a removable center element.
2. Description of the Related Art
While hockey is a sport which was initially played only on ice, it is increasingly being played on non-ice surfaces. The players may wear sport shoes or roller skates, although hockey played on a non-ice surface wearing in-line skates is preferred since they are more like ice skates. The non-ice playing surface maybe a street, parking lot, tennis court, gymnasium floor, roller rink, or a playing surface especially for roller hockey.
A variety of pucks have been tried for playing hockey on an non-ice surface. These pucks are generally in the form of a ball or a more traditional disk-shaped puck. An example of a puck for playing hockey on an non-ice surface is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,098. Another example is copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/679,103, which is incorporated herein by reference. This puck includes a body formed of a resilient material and has slider members of a low friction material on at least the axial end faces of the puck. The sliding members permit the puck to slide over the non-ice surface while the resilient body absorbs shock and reduces bounce and vibration in the puck.